caseyneill
/ Bio

CASEY NEILL & THE NORWAY RATS are a crack gang of musicians from Portland Oregon. Their sound combines high energy diesel fueled rave-ups and haunting ballads. Neill's original weather beaten narratives eschew irony in favor of romance, celebrate society's miscreants, and explore the hidden corners of the American landscape. The Norway Rats, a crack gang of Portland's finest musos, perform Neill's originals with unhinged live energy. Their sound blends elements of Scots/Irish tunefulness, feral abandon, and heartland rock. Their 2010 record "Goodbye to the Rank and File" garnered rave reviews from radio, online blogs, and press. Fall of 2013 sees the release of a new CD/LP "All You Pretty Vandals" produced by Chris Funk of the Decemberists. Casey Neill & The Norway Rats are touring nationally throughout the year.

The Norway Rats feature bassist Jesse Emerson (Amelia), guitarist Chet Lyster (Eels), keyboardist Jenny Conlee (Decemberists), drummer Joe Mengis (Priory), and Neill (The Minus 5). They have left an impact on audiences while touring extensively for more than a decade in the US, UK, and Japan at venues such as Town Hall in New York, San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, and the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle.

PRESS QUOTES:
"Casey Neill’s latest record, Goodbye to the Rank and File, is just as much audio book as it is album, teeming with rich lyrics that paint the glory and gutter of a wanderer’s struggle. Backed by talented Rats like Jenny Conlee (the Decemberists, Black Prairie) and Chet Lyster (Lucinda Williams Band), Neill bellows pack the punch of white-capped seas, soaking the band’s big sky, prairie wind sound with a haunting graveness. It just may be Portland’s strongest brand of unfettered, contemporary roots rock." - Mark Stock, WILLAMETTE WEEK

"These are songs with stories well told. This is what it's all about" STEVE EARLE

"The music itself is almost shockingly accomplished. Neill is a talented vocalist and his moody voice suits the feel of the songs perfectly, while the rest of the band fit together to make up the refined roots sound. In theme, this is an album that touches on love, loss, life and bitter defeat, all viewed through a distinctly Northwest American eye. The song writing belongs up with the classics of this or any genre." - Jenna Cosgrove, THE PUNK SITE